Ah Fook’s on Maui slowly reopening

Question: What ever happened to Ah Fook's Supermarket, which was destroyed in a fire about 1 1/2 years ago?

Answer: The family-run supermarket on Maui is slowly reopening.

Ah Fook's is having a soft opening to begin business again but is still in the process of stocking shelves and installing equipment.

General Manager Raymond Hew said the store is planning to add more refrigeration coolers and other services like the old store.

He said bringing Ah Fook's back to a full-service supermarket will take time.

The store at Kahului Shopping Center was destroyed on Feb. 27, 2005, in a fire that started at the nearby Salvation Army thrift store.

The fire quickly spread to other buildings.

Hew did not know when the store will hold its official grand opening.

Ah Fook's, which opened last week, is still at the Kahului Shopping Center but has moved to the Wailuku end of the mall.

The store is focusing on its strengths, such as Asian specialty items, including bottled sauces for Chinese char siu and Filipino adobo, and a variety of rice.

It is also beginning to provide local Maui produce such as avocados and Kula onions, along with cut proteas.

A big seller remains the cottage roll and Portuguese hot sausage, both made on Maui.

Within a span of 10 minutes, several people reached into a cooler bin to buy the Portuguese sausages. "I've never had this but I've heard about this," said Anson Lee, a Hilo resident.

Lee bought several Portuguese hot sausages and a cottage roll.

The store was founded more than 80 years ago by Chinese immigrant Tam Kui Fook and became a popular weekly stop in food shopping in Kahului.

This update was written by Star-Bulletin reporter Gary T. Kubota.

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